Meet Dot and Smudge!

About five years ago, when my children were little (literally, they are now rivalling me for height), my oldest daughter set out to the pet shop to buy some pet mice. “Why mice?” asked the pet shop owner, “Have you considered rats?” (Little did we know that we had chosen to purchase mice from the foremost local breeder of domestic rats – Animal World in Boronia.) “Rats??” shrieked my wife – but as soon as she saw them, she was convinced.

That day we bought Twitchy home, and he was a constant companion, for me as much as for my children. He would sit on my shoulder as we were watching television, and, if I fell asleep, he would still be there when I woke up. When he died two years later (rats have a short life span – if you buy them for your children, they will be introduced to death and grieving on a regular basis), we missed him so much we went out and bought two new rats, Tiffany and Minerva – both females, because unless you want lots of rats, don’t buy two of the same sex! They in their own turn expired, and by then the girls were sick of having the rats in their rooms (they make a bit of noise at night) and having to clean out the cage every couple of days.

So we didn’t replace them, but I missed having the little rodents quite dreadfully. In fact, I have become so “rat friendly” that in order to remove a small infestation of ratus ratus (as opposed to ratus domesticus) from my ceiling, I decided to use a live catch trap and to release them “in the wild” rather than kill them (there must be a bit of Buddhist in me).

But then the other day I came across this great bird cage on the hard rubbish collection in our neighbourhood, and I thought – that would fit nicely in my outdoor retreat (aka to my family members as “The Cave”), and I could put rats in it! So I brought it home, cleaned it up, adapted it as necessary so that it would provide a sheltered environment for small rodents, and then rang the Pet Shop to see when their next little would be available. “End of October”, they said.

Yesterday then was the day of the arrival of the new family members. And here they are. The one with the dot on her head is “Dot”, and so the other one had to be “Smudge”.

About Schütz

I am Catholic, married to Cathy, father of Maddy & Mia. Since 2002, I have been the Executive Officer of the Ecumenical & Interfaith Commission of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. I was once a Lutheran pastor, but a "year of grace" and soul-searching led me into the Catholic Church. It was a bumpy ride, but with the support of my (still Lutheran) wife, I was finally confirmed on June 16, 2003.

6 Responses to Meet Dot and Smudge!

Dear David,
Since the Rattus rattus species is an alien rodent in Australia I can’t help but suggest that your releasing them in the bush rather than killing them was misguided. We have two cats and as it happens this morning I had to remove a near headless juvenile Rattus from the house which one of the cats probably caught outside and helpfully brought in via the cat door, as if to say, “Look, I’m earning my keep!”

…and yes, cats are introduced too, but I’ve yet to see a properly cared for domestic cat catch a native bird (of which there are plentiful numbers where I live, which perhaps confirms my point) and I don’t let them roam or release them in bushland habitat :0)

Have cats too. They don’t come near rattus domesticus. I may have to find a new way of trapping the rattus ratti. After successfully removing the adult rat, I have since found the trap closed every morning and the bait gone. I think those left are small enough to squeeze thru the gaps in the mesh of the trap. Either that or we have a new breed called rattus houdinus…

And “in the wild” just means over at the bit of scrub at the oval. I imagine the find somewhere else to call home. Perhaps they might even find their way home. Have you ever watched the film Ratatouille?

Actually, after a bit more research, I think the rat I trapped was a Rattus norvegicus, or brown rat, even though it was grey in colour. It was very like our domestic rats, but had a more defined neck and a larger head. I should have taken a picture of it for accurate identification.

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SCE is a blog in "the Spirit of Benny 16". It is a place to discuss Catholic Theology, Ecumenism, Interfaith relations, History, Liturgy, Philosophy and whatever topics are hot in the ecclesiastical world!

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The Schütz Model for a Elective Australian Constitutional Monarchy

I propose that
1) We replace the absentee monarch of Australia (who is also the Monarch of Great Britain) with an elected Australian monarchy.
2) The elected monarch exactly replaces the current monarch in the current constition.
3) The elected monarch has exactly the same powers, duties and responsibilities as those of the current absentee monarch. All the monarch's functions are carried out by his/her personal representatives (as is currently the case): federally by the Governor General, and in the states by the State Governors.
4) The Governor General and the Governors continue to be selected and appointed as they currently are, that is, by the premier with the approval of the monarch.
5) The monarch is elected to sovereignty over Australia for life, but his/her sovereignty is strictly non-hereditary.
6) The elective body is the "college of electors" comprised of the state governors and federal governor general.
7) The election of the monarch must be a unanimous decision on the part of the college of electors.

"The fervant Romanists have always this point in their favour: that they are ready to believe. And they have a desire for the conversion of men which is honest in exactly inverse ration to the dishonesty of the means which they employ to produce it."-- Anthony Trollope, "The Way We Live Now"

J.G. Schütz Family Arms

"The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head."-- Terry Pratchet, Hogfather, page 242

"I really don't think I'm arrogant, but I do get impatient with people who don't share with me the same humility in front of the facts."--Richard Dawkins